The first seasonal harvest technology of ratoon rice requires the least rolling with suitable stubble height required by agronomy when the ratoon rice is nearly mature. Mechanized harvesting in the first season of ratoon rice needs to finish harvesting, threshing, cleaning, straw treatment, grain transportation, grain collection and other processes at one time with a low rolling rate and low rolling degree. Limited by the production conditions such as wet and soft fields, and wet, thick and strong straw, harvest technology with high efficiency and a low rolling rate of ratoon rice in the first season has become the key technology and research focus affecting the yield of ratoon rice. In this paper, we analyzed the planting and popularization of ratoon rice in China, summarized the planting mode and agronomic characteristics of ratoon rice, highlighted the research status of mechanized harvesting equipment for the first season of ratoon rice, especially the specialized harvesters, and illustrated in detail the technical characteristics and research trends of key segments such as chassis, header, and processes such as threshing and cleaning, and straw and stubble treatment of ratoon rice harvesters. In addition, we summarized the application status and value of lightweight technology, performance monitoring and fault diagnosis technology, grain quality detection technology and automatic navigation technology of mechanized harvest in the first season, explained the main problems and reasons affecting the development of ratoon rice harvest mechanization in China, and illustrated the prospect of its research focus and tendency.